David and Constantine Mkheidze (A Study of the Alagi Martvili Text)

Abstract

Glo In 729–730 CE, Murvan ibn Muhammad, a relative of Maslama, invaded the Caucasus with an army of 120,000. The Georgians called him „K’ru“, while the Armenians referred to him as „Avanashar“ — meaning „the devastator“. After subduing the forces of Kartli, the invaders moved into western Georgia, pillaged Egrisi and Tsikhe-Goji, captured the regional leaders David and Constantine Mpheidze, and finally reached the fortress of Anakopia, where the leaders of Kartli — Miri, Archil — and the Abkhazian ruler Leon had taken refuge.
This event is described somewhat differently by Ivane Javakhishvili, who relied on the words of Juansher, while Arab, Armenian, and Byzantine historians provide no account of this campaign. The text was first studied by M. Sabinin and published in his book Georgia’s Paradise. Subsequently, it was republished several times by K. Kekelidze, S. Qubaneishvili, and others, although there are no significant differences among these editions. The aim of this study is to determine the location of David and Constantine’s martyrdom based on the available texts.
It can be inferred that David and Constantine were tortured near the Rioni River and that „their bodies were thrown into a lake (formed by the powerful Rioni River)“, above which stood the churches of Cosmas and Damian. The present-day course of
the Rioni River does not allow for identification of this lake, which is believed to have been the „K’ure“. However, in historical illustrations preserved in the National Library archives, the lake and surrounding sites are clearly depicted. These structures
were built in the 1830s and 1910s, and the lake, „formed by the powerful Rioni River“, is consistently featured at the center.
As of 1914, on the left bank of the Rioni — where today stand the Court of Appeals, the synagogue, St. George’s Church, and Mtsvane Kvavili — the lake mentioned by an unknown author existed. After the construction of the hydroelectric station on the Rioni, the lake disappeared, though its contours remain observable as a dry, barren area where the saints’ remains were thrown. This location lies beneath the present-day Court of Appeals.
Therefore, based on the evidence, there is no doubt about the site of David and Constantine’s torture or the appearance of this portion of the Rioni River in the relatively recent past. It can confidently be identified as the „Alagi Martvili“, located near the current Court of Appeals (on the Rioni side), in the lower right corner between the synagogue and St. George’s Church, with the so-called lake at its center.